As Ruby Wax dives headfirst into the jungle chaos of this year’s *I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out of Here!*, her fiery personality is already stealing the spotlight. The 72-year-old comedy icon, known for her razor-sharp wit and no-holds-barred interviews, has ITV bosses rubbing their hands in glee, hoping she’ll spill juicy secrets about the A-listers she’s crossed paths with over the decades. But amid the campfires and creepy crawlies, one long-simmering grudge is bubbling back to the surface—a feud that’s haunted Ruby for years and shows no signs of cooling off.
Ruby’s rise to fame kicked off in 1985 with her unforgettable role as the sassy Shelley DuPont in the cult sitcom *Girls on Top*. From there, she pivoted to groundbreaking documentaries, rubbing shoulders with the world’s most notorious figures. We’re talking in-depth chats with O.J. Simpson, a pre-presidential Donald Trump in 2000, and countless others who made headlines for all the wrong (and right) reasons. Her style was raw, unfiltered, and utterly captivating, turning her into a household name.
But then came the twist that still stings: Ruby has long accused documentary king Louis Theroux, now 55, of swooping in and “stealing” her investigative blueprint. As Louis skyrocketed to global fame with his quirky, probing series, Ruby’s career hit a slowdown, and she couldn’t shake the feeling that he’d borrowed her playbook. The resentment boiled over during a candid chat on Adam Buxton’s podcast, where Ruby didn’t mince words. “Everything we did, he took,” she fumed. “I’ve moved on. I have a new career, but if you say that word to me, I’ll vomit.” Even years later, she admitted, “I’ve evolved, but there’s still a little bit of anger.”
Fast-forward to 2020, and the drama took an unexpected turn when Ruby appeared on Louis’ own BBC podcast, *Grounded With Louis Theroux*. Here, she set the record straight—or at least tried to. “It’s not you, it’s what you brought up,” she told him, pinning her fury on the broadcasters who championed his work over hers. For the first time, she confessed to binge-watching his docs that very morning. “It’s great. You’re good—it’s what I should’ve been doing,” she said, reflecting on how her comedic persona from *Girls on Top* had pigeonholed her. But the comparisons? They never stopped. “If I get in a taxi, it happens maybe more than once a week,” Ruby revealed. “They’ll say, ‘Did you used to do what Louis Theroux did?’ Or, ‘What happened to you?'” Ouch—that’s the kind of shade that lingers.
Louis Theroux, the man at the center of this storm, has built an empire on his signature awkward-yet-insightful interviews, from eccentric celebrities to fringe subcultures. But for Ruby, he’s the one who got away with her thunder, turning her innovative approach into his ticket to stardom. She’s made it clear: forgiveness isn’t on the menu.
And speaking of Ruby’s unfiltered edge, *I’m A Celebrity* viewers got a fresh taste of it just days into the show. When latecomer Tom Read Wilson, the charming 39-year-old receptionist from *Celebs Go Dating*, tried to woo her with Shakespeare’s “Shall I compare thee to a summer’s day?” sonnet, Ruby shut it down with brutal efficiency. “I don’t like the bit about the lines… just compare me to a summer’s day and leave it at that,” she quipped, leaving fans divided—some calling for her exit due to “rudeness,” others cheering her authenticity.
Tom, alongside model Vogue Williams, entered as “Chief Explorers,” bossing the camp with chore assignments and injecting fresh energy. But his enthusiastic singing scales in the creek? Let’s just say it echoed loud enough to annoy the whole crew back at base.
As Ruby navigates the trials of the jungle—from Bushtucker horrors to heart-to-hearts around the fire—will she finally bury the hatchet with her arch-nemesis, or let the resentment fuel her fire? One thing’s for sure: with Ruby Wax in the mix, this season is anything but predictable. Stay tuned for more revelations from the queen of candid confessions!